“The Judgment of Paris” is a blind wine tasting which compares the finest wines from Napa valley with those from Bordeaux, a city whose wines are so famous you need only say its name and people reply with “ahhh, yes, a Bordeaux”.  “The Judgment” was first held on May 24, 1976, and it was once again held this past May 24 (2006).

Unfortunately for Bordeaux’s wines, they didn’t fare as well as the Californian wines this time around.  In a competition with ten wines and nine judges from both sides of the Atlantic, the top five wines went to Napa Valley.

It should be noted that these are the finest wines in the world and all of them considered superb.  But if you happen to find yourself at the wine store with a pocketful of cash and stumble across a 1971 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet from Napa, you might want to pick it up.  This lucky vintage received the Judgement’s top honors! The highest ranked Bordeaux (6th place) was a 1970 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. 

Other notable contenders:

• Placing second was the 1973 Stag’s Leap Cellars Cabernet
• Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and Mayacamus Wineries tied for third place
• Clos du Val took fifth.
• Seventh place went to a 1970 Chateau Montrose
• Eighth place went to a 1970 Chateau Haut-Brion
• A 1971 Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases finished ninth